Roadmap for Hysterectomies

BALTIMORE, MD (Ivanhoe Newswire) - It’s the second most common surgery performed on women in the U.S. and every surgeon has his or her own way of doing it. Now, one doctor is trying to change that.

When Mary Lou Olszewski was diagnosed with uterine cancer, these guys helped her through it.

"They took good care of mom. They were there for me," Mary Lou told Ivanhoe.

Mary Lou had a hysterectomy. Doctor Dwight Im used an approach he created and named the "IMSWAY." It’s a step by step plan that guides surgeons like a map.

"It’s almost like saying, well New York is northeast of Baltimore, I’ll see you there. Well, how do I get there?" Dwight Im, M.D., a Gynecologic Oncologist at Mercy Medical Center, said.

Surgeons often have trouble locating the ureter which connects the kidney and bladder. They typically stay far away from it, which puts the patient at risk for bleeding. IMSWAY guides them closer to the ureter, so they can see it.

"You know you can see it. That’s how you know you are not touching or injuring it," Dr. Im said.

The result: a shorter surgery, about 30 minutes instead of several hours and less bleeding. Doctor Im teaches the technique to surgeons all over the world and hopes it will become the standard.

"In the end, it’s the patients who benefit," Dr. Im said.

"To me it was, this is not your mother’s hysterectomy. I really feel that I got a lease on life," Mary Lou said.

Doctor Im has been using the IMSWAY technique for two and a half years and has performed more than 1,000 surgeries. The approach can be used for open, laparoscopic, or robotic hysterectomies.

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Andrew Mcintosh at amcintosh@ivanhoe.com